One of the region’s most significant heritage landmarks, the historic St John’s Church at Wallerawang, has been forced to close its doors because of what a church spokesman said was ‘structural damage from an unconfirmed source’.
Expert advice is that the damage poses too great a public risk for the church to remain in use.
The church’s insurance company has ordered the heritage-listed property be locked and fenced off after an engineer’s report revealed serious cracks in the bell tower.
The report listed a number of possible explanations for the damage, including the effects of blasting for the construction of the nearby Wallerawang power station some 40 years ago.
The spokesman said this suggestion is yet to be confirmed.
Locks have now been placed on all gates and a warning notice attached to the front door of the church.
The 120 year old building has been jointly owned and operated by the Presbyterian and Anglican churches since it was given to them in trust in the middle of last century.
Bill Winthrop, Senior Pastor of the Lithgow Anglican Parish, said it was a disappointment that such an historic building could no longer be used by the community.
“Many people in the Wallerawang district have strong attachments to St John’s, with family members married and baptised in the building,” he said.
“Already we have had to relocate a number of weddings scheduled for the second half of this year and that is very unfortunate for the people involved.”
The closure has also forced the relocation of the fortnightly meeting of the local Presbyterian congregation — the only service which was making regular use of the church.
Mr Winthrop said the repairs to the building were estimated at two to three million dollars — well beyond the resources of the local Anglican and Presbyterian churches.
He said the joint property committee which has oversight of the building is currently investigating possible options which will benefit the whole community.
But Mr Winthrop conceded what most observers feared — there is no realistic prospect of re-opening the church in the near future.
The church was the centre of some civic controversy last year when it was revealed church authorities in Sydney were seriously considering an offer to purchase St John’s Church.
The bidder wanted to dismantle the church and transport it stone by stone for re-erection in Canberra.
The proposal was even aired in Lithgow Council where it was stated the church was covered by the same planning regulations as other buildings and could not be demolished without formal Council approval.
A fading sign at the front of St John’s records the church’s links with the early pioneering families of the district, and its original role as a family chapel for the wealthy owners of ‘Barton Park’, now submerged beneath the waters of Lake Wallace.
It states that the church was erected by Mrs Georgina Abbott as a memorial to her parents, Mr and Mrs James Walker, and her first husband, Edmund Barton. It was designed by Blackett and Son, Architects, and constructed in Gothic style by George Donald.
The church was opened on November 6 1881 as the ‘Wallerawang Estate’ private chapel.
It was made available for use by the local Presbyterian and Anglican churches from the outset and was given to the churches in Trust in November 1952.
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